TikTok refugees head to RedNote, wildfires bring heartbreak to Southern California, and Marvel Rivals takes off with teens. But first:
Song of the Week: “Tweaker” – G3 Gelo
LiAngelo Ball (aka G3, aka G3 GELO, aka “Ball Brothers”) is the middle child of the Ball family—a family that could be considered basketball royalty. Unlike his brothers, LiAngelo never played in the NBA, but may have found his niche in music instead. “Tweaker” has gone viral over the last week, trending on TikTok, breaking into the Billboard Hot 100, and even earning him a record deal. The song feels like run-of-the-mill hip-hop fare, with repetitive beats and melodies, and lyrics that focus on wealth, sexual prowess, and a couple of allusions to God. Here are the full lyrics (language).
Three Conversations
1. Heroes Never Die
What it is: The hero-shooter Marvel Rivals has exploded in popularity since its release last month on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and S.
Why it’s growing in popularity: Hero-shooters are multiplayer games where players choose a hero from a roster of different characters with unique abilities and playstyles. If you think swinging around as Spider-Man, flying and shocking people as Storm, or punching people as The Hulk would be a perfect match for this genre, you would be correct. Marvel’s name recognition, as well as popular streamers like TimTheTatman, xQc, and Kai Cenat devoting chunks of their streams to playing it, has led more and more players (over 20 million, to be precise) to try out the free game. As far as content goes, the violence is cartoony and bloodless, but many of the characters have comic-accurate designs, which means many of the female (and some of the male) superheroes have exaggerated proportions.
Continue the conversation: What superhero do you think would be the most fun to play as in a game?
2. Fiery Discourse
What it is: As the Los Angeles wildfires continue to burn, many teens are sharing resources and information with each other through social media.
What it’s revealing: Faith in traditional media institutions is at an all time low—which means there are few reliable ways to vet information before sharing it. That’s made understanding the situation in LA difficult, even for the people who just want to help. What’s clear is that families from multiple income brackets have been deeply affected, with many Angelenos losing their homes. GoFundMe sites have been started for those impacted and are being widely shared, as well as calls for donations of items like water bottles, clothing, and diapers. Unverified information is also spreading quickly, with some popular TikToks even suggesting that the fires are part of an effort to destroy evidence that implicates Sean “Diddy” Combs.
Continue the conversation: How can we help the people in Los Angeles?
3. Tick…Tock
What it is: Unless something changes over the weekend, the social media app TikTok will be banned from the app store in the United States starting Sunday, January 19th.
Why it’s still a toss-up: According to inside sources, Bytedance is currently planning to shut down TikTok, unless the US Supreme Court intervenes. People who open the app after the deadline will receive a message directing them to a website with information about the ban, as well as an option to download their data. Having said that, the Supreme Court still could delay hearing the case until President-elect Donald J. Trump takes office, or proposed legislation could delay the sale requirement. Bytedance is also reportedly considering a sale to Elon Musk, and another “very well-placed” (but unnamed) source suggested that Trump might even consider buying it. In the meantime, many users are pre-emptively flocking to another Chinese-based social media app called Xiaohongshu (often translated as “RedNote”), which is being compared to a heavily moderated Chinese version of Pinterest and Instagram combined.
Let’s translate this one further…
The magic (read: addictiveness) of TikTok has always been in its algorithm. Many of TikTok’s devotees agree that the app’s recommendations are better at hooking users than any other social media platform—and it is this algorithm that Bytedance has said “it will never let go of.”
This means that, even if TikTok is sold to a U.S.-based owner, the algorithm will change. A new one will have to be designed from the ground up, likely modeled in some sense after the social media platforms that Gen Z left for TikTok.
Earlier this week, RedNote became the most-downloaded free app in Apple’s U.S. app store. Even though the app does feature short-form videos, RedNote is very different from TikTok. So, why would so many “TikTok refugees” be looking to RedNote for sanctuary, when—just as a reminder—Meta’s blatant ripoff of TikTok, “Reels,” is sitting right there with open arms? Whatever the reason, the migration to RedNote clearly creates a conundrum for U.S. officials who claimed they were looking to limit “foreign influence” on Americans’ social media use.
In Galatians 2:21 the Apostle Paul writes, “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” In other words: external restraint is not the same thing as internal transformation. This is true when it comes to parenting the next generation, it’s true when it comes to spiritual growth, and it turns out that it’s even true when it comes to trying to block how social media apps are affecting what our teens think, see, and feel.
By the time you read this, TikTok may have a new U.S.-based owner, and/or most of its users may have fled to RedNote, Triller, or any number of other new apps. Wherever they go, may the parents and caring adults who read this newsletter keep up with their journey—in spirit, if not in user experience.
For more context and nuance, check out our Roundtable podcast on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts. In the meantime, here are three questions to spark conversation with your teens:
Continue the conversation:- Why do you think so many people are going to RedNote?
- If there was an algorithm designed to help people flourish, how do you think it would work?
- How tired are you of talking about this potential TikTok ban?
Parenting together,
The Axis Team
PS: Know someone who could use our conversation starters with their teens? Share the CT with a friend!